Mocha Java Stout | Z Street Brewing Company

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Reviews by ODBRIP:

I like good stouts a lot, and this one ranks right up there. the head was a little thin, bu that's typical of stout from a bottle. as advertised, it has a lot of chocolately coffee flavors, a dry bitter stout, much less malty then say a guiness. I'm a big fan...also it's pretty reasonable, picked up a sixer for like 6.99. I think I 'll go through a pile of this stuff this winter. nice work z street, I am impressed.

More User Reviews:

Popping the top led to a fairly loud pop, from this I started the pour into my pint glass very slowly and as expected the head exploded. It took about 8 pours to get it all in the glass.

After finally settling, this beer looks really nice. Pitch black with "ample" light chocolate colored head. Looks good...I'll let the overcarbonation pass since this one was received in a trade. Light roasted aromas with chocolate and expresso tones. Sweet malt background to all of this.

Taste of bittersweet chocolate with a strange coffee flavor. Finishes with some bitter burnt aftertastes. Not much else going on. Mouthfeel is okay, I would like to see a bit more body to this light to medium bodied brew. Drinkability is okay due to the lighter flavors and mouthfeel.

Fairly smooth and creamy on the palate (from the oats). Even, malty-medium body, a tad viscous around the edges. Upfront the beer is acrid, with roasted notes and a sharp-ish astringency. Somewhat seltzer-y This is prolonged by a salty / citric hop character. Some woody and smoky notes lurk beneath all of this. Faint chocolate and coffee, but it's hardly detectable and hidden by the overpowering acrid mess. Powdery cocoa / chicory-like finish, drying and bitty.

This is nothing like it used to be when Joe Z brewed it. Very disappointing. The name, appearance and aroma are promising, but the flavor simply doesn't deliver the promise. Very unimpressed.

Presentation: 12 oz brown long neck with a blurb about the beer on the label, no freshness date.

Appearance: Ink black in colour, black enough to where the light does not even show a glimmer through the edges of the brew. Thin yet healthy dark tan lace forms after a hard pouring into the glass.

Smell: Big fresh brewed coffee and roasted barley aroma, hints of unsweetened chocolate and malt sweetness also in the nose.

Taste: Full bodied, slightly chewy mouth feel with a mildly crisp and smooth carbonation that stays to a minimum. Huge roasted character, fresh but not overwhelming &#8230; acidic burnt twang first then more of a charcoal and highly roasted coffee bean flavour. Hops are underlying and simply balance the sweetness. Vague fruitiness of black currants and a noticeable alcohol add to the complex involved flavour of this brew. Some residual sweetness sticks around though the finish is still wrapped up in the roasted charcoal like burnt and ghost like smokiness.

Notes: American ingenuity right here, take something and add to it and make it your own &#8230; that is what Z Street has done to beer by concocting this sublime mixture of stout, coffee and chocolate. Best when consumed at cellar temperature and paired with chocolate.

I hadn't seen this on tap before, and had only first seen it in bottles last week so I had to give it a shot.

Truly uninspiring and "gimicky". I was hoping for some complex chocolate and coffee flavors and what I got was a bland pint full of a waste of my time. I had been warned but wanted to give it a shot for myself. Sometimes it's best to listen to the advice of your peers. If you find yourself wanting to give this one a try please heed my words and don't.

Light-abosrbing black in appearance. Nothing escapes from this black hole of a beer. Deep tan head coats the glass nicely. Aromas are wonderful. Roasted coffee, chocolate, sweet caramel. Taste is excellent, too. Chocolatey-coffee flavors up front, no-bake chocolate cookies in the middle, with a ever-so-slight slight smoky flavor right before a bitter chocolate flavor settles on the palate. Creamy smooth mouthfeel and superb drinkability. Probably my 2nd favorite beer at the AOBF. What a stout should be.

Yup, some more coffee and/or chocolate flavorings in a stout. It works though and I liked this one. The color is dark as night with a creamy pillow of froth at the top. It was hearty looking, thick in texture. Burnt chocolate and coffee bean dominate the nose - duh. Some bitter hop presence tries to sneak out too. Flavor wise, it does exactly what it says on the tin. The finish is a tad bitter, but in all - I enjoyed it. It's surprisingly drinkable on this warm summer night.

This poured to a thick black with a small head that shrank to a ring. It's not leaving much lace.

The smell is very nice, with plenty of roasted malt sharing the spotlight with chocolate and coffee flavors. The taste has no shortage of these flavors. It starts with the malts and finishes with chocolate and coffee, with just enough hops to keep things balanced. The mouthfeel is medium, and the drinkability is good.

One of my favorite beers of all times. Just the perfect balance of dark malts, coffee, and cocoa with just the right amount of sweetness. This beer has gone slightly downhill just a little bit since the end of Z Street Brewery, but it is still a great beer. Had the pleasure of meeting the creator and original brewer (Joe Z) and he is great to talk to about the history of Z Street's offerings.

Pours a mocha coffee dark black. Smells chocolate and mocha. Some coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Above average mouthfeel. Nothing outstanding to distinguish this one from other stouts, but quite nicely done. Not too sweet at all. Definite caffeine surge.
Another fine z-street.

Very java and some cocoa in there. Some java beers sing, and some don't. This one doesn't quite inspire anything. The coffee dominates the aroma and flavor, but it doesn't come off as that dark a blend or roast. I think this beer just doesn't have enough coffee in it for me. Overall pretty good, worth trying if you dig coffee beers.

Black, black as the soul of a serial killer was this beer. Even the bubbles in the head gave an essance of darkness. I could barely break myself from the trance to drink it. But when I did, coffe and chocalate were my reward. This is the Ben and Jerry's of stouts, an almost perfect perfection in it's class. Very enjoyable, with a great body that oozed down the side of my glass with every drink. MMMM-mmmmm.

Originally reviewed on May 22, 2006. Julios Spring Beer Festival. Light aroma of general coffee and darkly roasted malts. Pour of piutch black, with an rich tan foam head. Flavor is a dulled and overly thinned out coffee and Valhrona chocolate. I feel like Im saying thin bodied and weak to a lot of beers lately and for some styles, its acceptable. But when youre trying to put across strong flavors like coffee and chocolate, or youre using a higher ABV, you need the upped sugar content to carry flavor and provide good body. Thinness is generally more or less acceptable in lower alcohol and less complex brews, but in something like a Mocha Java Stout, I want body and heft. And this beer just doesnt have it, even though the flavors that are present arent bad, they need to be magnified.

Almost black in appearance with a fantastic pillow head and great lacing. Smell is a great blend of malts and strong, black coffee. Taste is strong coffee with a fruity hop presence that ends in a slightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel is a fantastic chewy, rich experience. Drinkability is nice...smooth and mellow.

A: The stout pours thick and black, looking more viscous that it actually is. The head never amounted to much on pour (at max a finger) and has left sporadic patches of lace throughout the glass.

S: The aroma is definitely stout, roasted and bold (this is not a double, so it is not too bold). The dark notes that emerge are nicely met by a smooth java aroma, rich and chocolatey.

T: This is a nice beer! Roasted malts are matched with burnt toast flavors to create a a full bodied initial impression. The more the ale sits in the mouth, the harsher the roasted flavors become. A big hop flourish pops up near the end, adding a twist to the taste with its citrusy bite. Mid-sip, java notes come through, vibrant with a pleasant chocolatey taste that softens the roasted depth.

M: Roasted malts, coffee and big hops all conspire to make a darn good beer. The flavors are robust throughout and leave a lasting impression in the mouth.

D: The coffee and hops add a nice twist to the stout, adding variety that you want another glass.

Tremendous beer. Pours a dark brown with a thick bubbly head that lasts pretty well. Chocolate, coffe, and roasted malts in the nose. Absolute heaven on the tongue. The chocolate and coffee tastes blend perfectly but do not overpower the roasted malt bitterness. Extremely creamy and smooth and exceptionally drinkable. Thanks to JohhnyP for the sample.

Pours black with a massive light brown head - an attractive sticky topping lasts throughout and leaves some nice lacing patterns on the glass. Light sweet chocolate / coffee aroma with some hoppiness in the back. Taste is well-blended bittersweet chocolate and coffee - nice thick, rich maltiness. Smooth, bitter mouthfeel - I believe oats have been used to round it out.

This stout deserves more aroma to back up the delicious taste. Tough to beat for the price though. A fine dessert stout.

It was a rainy and cold day in Arizona as I poured the ebony colored elixir of life into my Chalice, the glass made for adoring the stouts virtues. The head sits beautifully a top the dark body, and as it dissolves leaves fine glutinous lace to covet the glass. Aroma of Starbucks Chocolate Mocha Coffee combined with the toasted grains makes this a real treat for the nose. The front is sweet milk chocolate with the top like melted fudge and the finish blessed with the right hop spiciness and minimal carbonation, dry somewhat bitter aftertaste, to me a fine example of what a "Stout" should be.

Poured a completely black pint with about 1 inch of brown foam. Quickly disappeared to a thin layer of head with some bubbles left on the bottom of the glass. Smelt of slight coffee, with amounts of the alcohol. Taste was unfortunately lacking for what I like. Tasted bitter, with a bitter after taste. Only slight coffee flavorings. About 30 mins after opening the bottle, with just a few sips left it was bearable, but still had bitterness to it. It was a thick drink that felt good in the mouth.